todoodlist
Technology is great. Pencils are better.
by Nick Cernis
putthingsoff.com
A simple book about falling in love with paper,
simplifying your life, and following your dreams.
Dedicated to Hayley
Thanks for all the giggles.
Contents
Introduction
5
Coffee and Doodles
Part I
7 Essays on Simplicity
10
Zen Kitten in a Box
13
Aliens with Nostrils
16
Parrots in Space
19
Bionic Worms
24
Einstein Shaving
27
The Productivians
31
Web 2.0 No!
Part II
5 Simple Solutions
37
The Todoodlist
49
The Sudoku Calendar
56
The Tagbook
62
Glyphies
66
The Banana Reminder
Part III
Embracing Simplicity
72
The 5 Steps
88
5 Steps Diet Edition
90
The Blueprint For Launch
92
BONUS: The Blueprint For Lunch!
Conclusion
95
Just One Thing
Introduction
Todoodlist is a book about simplicity.
This is the story behind it.
5
Coffee and Doodles
Coffee and Doodles
Our lives are becoming increasingly complex.
It almost feels like we're part of a terrible film plot. If the
introduction to this book was the voice-over for the trailer of
a Hollywood blockbuster starring a Mister Bruce Wallis, here's
how it would sound:
[Dramatic Trailer Voice] In a land where gadgets
conquer all — a world divided by beeps — one lonely hero,
a notebook, and an HB pencil must unite to save us from
ourselves. Bruce Wallis stars in Todoodlist, a film about
sticking the pencil back where it belongs.
Sounds good, doesn't it? I pitched the script to Bruce's agent,
complete with a gigantic mock-up of a rugged flame-licked
figure crawling up a lift shaft with a pencil clenched firmly
between his teeth. Expect to see it in cinemas soon.
Coffee and doodles: my story
Almost three years ago, I was hopelessly addicted to
gadgets, gizmos, software and systems. One rainy November
day, whilst sitting in a coffee house in West Yorkshire in
England, the battery on my PDA died as I pecked away at
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6
my weekly to-do list. I interrupted the woman next to me
mid-Sudoku to borrow her pencil and scribble my upcoming
tasks on a stray coffee receipt.
After briefly noting the teeth marks, I returned the trusty tool
and apologised for derailing her train of thought.
“Don't worry,” she said kindly. “I know what it's like
when you just have to get something down. What's that
you've drawn?” She slid my scruffy receipt over the table to
get a closer look.
“It's my to-do list,” I offered.
“Ha! I've never seen a to-do list like it!”, she remarked.
“Well, I guess you could call it a Todoodlist.”
“Todoodlist! That's cool. You should write a book!”
That moment marked the end of my addiction to gadgets and
the beginning of the book you're now reading. Over the next
few years, I began to abandon every complex system and
electronic device I'd grown fond of, and started to rediscover
traditional paper methods for staying organised instead. By
using old tools in new ways, I discovered a world of untapped
power in simple systems; a way to adapt paper and pencil to
our fast-paced lives that was not just better than electronic
gizmos, but more fun too.
7
Todoodlist is split into three sections:
In Part One (page 9) I offer seven short, cheery essays that
will get you thinking about the need to abandon complexity
and embrace simplicity.
In Part Two (page 36) I give you the five paper systems
I've developed and refined to help replace electronic set ups
and simplify your life. It's the first time I've shared many of
them with anyone. They are: the Todoodlist, the Sudoku
Calendar, the Tagbook, a great form of personal shorthand
called Glyphies, and the Banana Reminder.
In Part Three (page 71) I'll teach you a five-step system to
identify and reduce complexity in all areas of your life. The
simple system will give you more hours in the day, help to
reduce stress in your life, and encourage you to strip away
complexity before adding it. I'll also give you a blueprint
for launching new projects that will help you follow your
dreams and set your great ideas free.
Before you begin your journey as a Todoodler, let me first
give you my heartfelt thanks. By buying this book you've
given me the most wonderful compliment I could wish for.
I genuinely hope that Todoodlist will enable you to simplify
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your daily life and take a running jump towards achieving
your dreams, however complex they may seem.
If you want to chat, ask questions, or offer feedback and
corrections, you're welcome to contact me directly by
emailing nickcernis@gmail.com
If you'd like to help represent me for my next book (or you
want to publish a version of this one) do get in touch; I'd be
especially keen to hear from you.
Here's to a simple life!
Nick Cernis
putthingsoff.com
Part One
7 simple essays exploring
our complex modern world.
10
Zen Kitten in a Box
13
Aliens with Nostrils
16
Parrots in Space
19
Bionic Worms
24
Einstein Shaving
27
The Productivians
31
Web 2.0 No!
Zen Kitten in a Box
Humans share a brilliant talent. Given a chance we'd call it
“over-complimification”.
I'd like you to sit back, relax, and imagine yourself in a room
with no windows. Thank you. Now, I'll add an architect, a
baker and a Zen Kitten. I'll give you one pencil, a sheet of
paper, a packet of flour and a spirit level between you. Your
task? To escape from the dark box using only the tools you've
been given.
At this point, the architect will have snatched the pencil and
paper, studied the profile of the room, and started calculating
the best way to create a stress fracture using the bag of flour.
If he gets it just right, it would enable your escape by
repeated shoulder barges and dramatic grunting noises,
followed by glorious shouts of "we made it!" as warming
yellow light filters into the dark prison that seemed to hold
you captive for so long.
The baker will probably realise that, if you're going to be
stuck in a box for some time while the architect works his
dark structural magic, you'll want feeding. She'll face the
biggest challenge of her professional life trying to decide
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11
what to create with only a small amount of flour and her hair
pin, but at least it will keep you all entertained for a while.
Meanwhile, the Zen Kitten will have shunned the whole issue
as a meaningless triviality connected with pointless concerns
about the human condition, emptied its small mind of all
conscious thought, and curled itself into a ball to sleep.
The spirit level may have briefly peaked its interest as it
considered whether the term carried some higher meaning,
but it's unlikely to have given it much thought.
Two hours later, when the kitten awakes to find the architect
and baker arguing over the last ounce of flour, it will simply
saunter over to the door to smugly find that it was never
locked in the first place. Then it will promptly open it and
walk straight out while no-one notices. Were you thinking
along the same lines? If not, have no fear — it's not too late
to save you from yourself!
The remaining short chapters in part one each examine
what happens when basic tasks become needlessly complex.
They question in a very light-hearted way whether or not
the technology that has infiltrated our day-to-day lives is a
blessing or a curse. Each one will take only minutes to read;
together they will encourage a small ball bearing to start
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rolling down a complex series of gates and steps. As it comes
nearer, watch closely. You'll notice the words, “think like the
kitten” etched upon its tiny silver surface.
Aliens with Nostrils
Why do we possess this fascination with technology?
Perhaps it's because all our friends and colleagues seem to
like it so much. We're only being polite, aren't we? Yes, that
must be it. Maybe we're just making sure we put on a good
show while the cluster of aliens with sixteen runny nostrils
apiece and not a handkerchief between them all watch us
from afar, greedily eyeing our boxes of tissues.
I'd like you to consider another possibility for a moment.
It's called Star Wars. There is nothing like the promise of
light sabres, intergallactic space travel, women in gold
bikinis and Harrison Ford looking dashing to motivate men
and women behind computers into ‘progressing’ our race at
an alarmingly complex rate.
It will end in one of two ways. As we merrily add complexity
to everything we touch, we will either reach distant stars
and explore new worlds of unimaginable beauty, or we will
implode in a cloud of our own brilliance to make way for
the robot empire we have helped to build.
Let's brush the science fiction nonsense aside.
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Long before computers, things were much simpler. For a
start, the world was flat. That aside, the technological march
has probably been faster than you think. I will bet that you
can recall a day, or perhaps a week, in which your life
suddenly became much harder because of the complexity
that technology brought into it.
For me, it was the day my father brought our first computer
into the house. Long before my teenage years, the Amstrad
became my best friend. Prior to that point, my spare time
revolved around two simple choices: shall I go outside and
kick a ball through a window, or stay inside, watch television,
and explore the contents of my nostrils?
I now had to contend with a whole new world of weirdness,
each sparkling facet suddenly vying for my attention. Where
once none had existed, I felt a desperate desire to learn to
program in a language called Basic. I discovered very quickly
that this made me incredibly powerful. With just a few lines
of code and about five minutes of two-finger typing, I could
instruct the machine to print out, “I will not swear” one
thousand times. I could give the schoolmaster taking
detention my printouts and enjoy instant forgiveness with
minimal effort.
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In a way, you could say that the added complexity introduced
by this remarkable technology ruined my life. The day we
had a computer in the house was the day I became less
interested in the outside world, choosing to focus my
attention instead on a dull beige box in a cold corner of
a room with no lights on.
But this complex new world also set me up forever. I will
clear the air in case you were wondering: I love technology.
I live and breathe for news about every new iThingamy and
have been an early adopter of almost every popular website
you can name. Though I have learned to admire technology
and respect the complexity it brings, I also shun it in a very
measurable way. In the past few years, I have filled almost
thirty notebooks with my writing, ideas, and Todoodlists.
Technology is like flatulence: it's a personal thing. I've
learned to embrace both only when they offer measurable
benefits. Smart companies are also realising that the great
gadgets are ones that fulfil a genuine need; not those that
appeal on cool factor alone. Unfortunately, there are still
many consumers and companies alike who just don't get
it yet; for them, technology is getting in the way.
The evidence we are about to explore is littered across
history. Our tale begins in Russia in 1957 at the start of
the Space Race.
Parrots in Space
You may have heard the legend.
In the 1960s the US space program was thriving.
Unfortunately, it had a terrible problem that threatened to
crush all dreams and put a stop to any launch plans. It came
from an awful realisation: in space, no-one can hear you
scribble. The reason often listed is simple: ball-point pens
don't work in a low-gravity environment.
It took years of research, but an American company called
Fisher finally produced a pen with a pressurised cartridge that
works in zero gravity. They imaginatively dubbed it the Fisher
Space Pen. You can still buy them today from their website,
just in case you were thinking of making a long trip.
In stark contrast, the Russians approached the problem very
differently. Instead of the complex solutions and ”science“
that the Americans were so fond of, they came up with an
answer that was so simple it was brilliant: the Space Parrot.
You see, with an ample supply of Space Parrots, Russian
cosmonauts could launch themselves through the
stratosphere, start chatting away about how jolly good
it all was, and let the parrots do the remembering.
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17
After all, who needs a space pen when you've got a parrot?
It was a bold plan, but it had three serious problems. Firstly,
parrots were in terribly short supply in Russia in the 1960s.
A series of harsh Siberian winters had all but wiped them out.
Secondly, the birds were thought to have only a three-word
retention limit. (“Pieces of eight!”) The logical solution of
building a separate rocket to house all the parrots was about
as attractive as having to talk incredibly conservatively for
the duration of the trip, lest the parrots become overloaded
and explode. Finally, they were deeply concerned that no
living soul would take their Space Parrots very seriously. After
all, it's an awful lot of trust to put in a creature whose main
concern is how to escape from his human captors.
In a stroke of brilliance, they went with their plan B. They
called it “the pencil”. You see, sometimes, technology tries to
hurry us along when we'd be better off walking. Sometimes
we invent things just to prove how jolly clever we are. Often,
we'd be better off just having the day off, rather than tripping
up on our own egos.
I confess: I lied about the parrots. In fairness to the
Russians, they'd probably never have entertained such a
ridiculous idea. By all accounts they were extraordinarily
determined. While the Americans were busy hiring the best
undiscovered film director to fake a lunar landing on live TV,
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the Russians were actually planning to do it for real. Besides,
at least they've never crashed into Mars.
There's something else you should know too. The truth is, the
story about the American Space Pen and the Russian Pencil is
a monstrous lie. It turns out that regular ball-point pens do
work in space, and that both the Americans and Russians
used pencils long before Paul Fisher developed his pen for
extreme environments on Earth, independently and without
funding from NASA.
The elaborate urban myth is simply designed to make you
understand this: sometimes, simple is better. Often, a pencil
is all you need to get by. Usually, the problem you are facing
doesn't need a complex solution.
Unfortunately, there are still an abundunce of people who
love complex things. These brave men and women will carry
on tinkering with complexity regardless of a simple thing like
whether or not we need their new toys in the first place.
Our next trip takes us forward more than 40 years to Japan
in 2004, where a man in Tokyo is rewiring his book.
Bionic Worms
I love reading.
My books have their own room in our house where they live
out their lives, arguing over the dust and shying away from
the darts of light that shriek through the tiny window like
golden-tipped arrows. I have to constantly rotate the old for
the new by selling them at second hand shops and on
Amazon's marketplace. If I fail to regulate the delicate
balance of book space to living space, I fear my partner will
one day lose her patience with the volumes that threaten to
consume every inch of space in our home, and try to feed me
one of the larger tomes. Via my nostrils.
You would be forgiven for thinking that I was delighted when,
four years after the Millennium Bug was supposed to have
switched off all the lights for good, a man in Japan
announced that he had a solution for me. This brave new
device called the "eBook Reader" had the potential to take
away my life's collection of reading material and place it in
a thin plastic box, about the size of a compact magazine.
I confess: I am still deeply unsure about the idea.
But the concept is gaining traction. It has been refined over
the years, most recently by Amazon with their device called
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the Kindle. How I laughed when I heard the name! In 1933,
the Nazis burned the written works of Freud, Einstein and
H.G. Wells (amongst others) in protest of the “unGerman”
ideas they contained. Over seventy years later, there is a
delicious irony in naming your electronic book, a concept
which many fans of the printed page would love to see set
ablaze, after a box of firewood.
Amazon currently market the Kindle as an electronic device
that “reads like real paper”. My reaction to this was very
similar to that of Naomi Dunford of ittybiz.com. Early in 2008,
she posted a thoroughly entertaining ditty about the effect of
technology on our personal productivity, in which she wrote:
“I know a device specifically designed for reading books.
It's called a fucking book.” [http://tinyurl.com/2zqdco]
In the sharp way that her fans and stalkers will know and
love, Naomi summed up what millions of people around the
world were no doubt thinking, but were just too scared to
say. Few are brave enough to stand up and publicly question
our technological march onwards, lest they be consigned to a
small box marked, “leave behind” and lost on our journey to
the future.
There are at least three problems with the electronic book.
Firstly, the concept of paying twice for the same thing is
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distinctly unfunny. There is currently no good way to convert
a printed book to an electronic format in the same way that
a CD can be transferred to an iPod. That glorious unwritten
business model known as “same shit, different packaging”
has been quietly propping up the world economy for over
forty years. We seem to find ourselves tentatively reaching
for our wallets every ten years just to buy music or films from
1963 in whatever new format we now desperately need.
Secondly, there is something very beautiful about the printed
page that I'm not ready to have stolen from me just yet.
To me, a book represents an escape from the screen that I
spend so many hours with. These days, I suspect that most
people don't really care if their eBook's screen reads like
paper. Until it smells like paper, tastes like paper, and cuts
their fingers as they turn the page, many will probably stick
with their traditional books.
Thirdly, some would accuse the various electronic book
developers of simply failing to stop and answer one question:
do we really need it? Why replace a product that's been
working rather well for hundreds of years? If we take a look
at both sides of the argument, as we should, it turns out that
there are several rather compelling reasons to embrace it.
22
Like it or not, the electronic book simply makes sense.
From a business perspective, the promise of removing
physical warehousing and transportation costs is incredibly
attractive. If I was Amazon, I would practically be giving the
Kindle away for the chance to revolutionise my business.
The green issue is a tricky one. If you add up the
environmental cost of printing all those books on freshlymilled trees, shipping them to warehouses, storing them,
packaging them and redelivering them, it might seem that
the argument is a no-brainer. But the environmental cost of
producing and shipping the eBook readers must be taken into
account too. Plus, the things need recharging about once a
week. The grim reality is, we'll probably need to burn a lot of
kindle to power all the Kindles. Despite this, I suspect that
the electronic book offers a more environmentally-friendly
option for the long term.
Finally, the eBook offers another very clear advantage: as an
author, it's relatively easy to write and publish one. Whether
or not this is a good thing is up for debate. Many will say that
it bypasses the editorial process and that, overall, it dilutes
the strength of the product. I've read eBooks that were
utterly incoherent; books that would never have seen shelf
space if their authors had sought to publish them the
traditional way. But I've also read several that have changed
23
my life forever. (Hopefully this one falls into the second
category!)
The sad fact is this: while the eBook reader itself is a fairly
complex device, it's reason for creation is rooted in removing
complexity and embracing simplicity. The delivery, storage,
and sale of books in electronic format is certainly far simpler
than the physical equivalent. And simple is good.
There will be those who read (or half-read) this book and
wrongly accuse me of making a stand against technology and
everything it represents. Let this chapter be proof that I think
otherwise: I fully recognise that technology can be hugely
beneficial. We must simply learn to embrace it only when it
genuinely simplifies our lives. If bookworms are going to
survive, we have to evolve by embracing useful technology
when it comes along. If that means that the traditional worm
must become bionic, then so be it.
As every book imaginable becomes available in electronic
format and the price of the Kindle comes down, I secretly
hope that it will become rather popular. But, for now, I'm
sticking with my paper cuts.
Our next story sees danger of a very similar kind, as we
watch one of the greatest minds of all time in his bathroom,
having a shave.
Einstein Shaving
24
Einstein had a point.
Perhaps the biggest gift he left us is the simplest one: if you
want to sound vastly more intelligent than you really are, all
you have to do is to borrow his brilliance by quoting him:
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but
not simpler.”
In this book, as well as a point, we're travelling back in time
to give him an edge. As we watch him shaving with the razor
I've just lent to him, the chances of Einstein accidentally
cutting himself are probably rather low. After all, as a man
of respectable age and experience, he's shaved a few times
before. Plus, he's accomplished enough in his lifetime to
make the simple act seem rather trivial.
But what if he slips? Accidents happen. Their reasons are
another area where humanity loves to add complexity. When
faced with a simple outcome and forced to work backwards to
determine a possible cause, our brains go into overdrive and
cook up all manner of seemingly-plausible but nauseatingly
complex solutions.
25
The best evidence for this comes from American TV and
Hollywood. If you've watched crime dramas like CSI, you
will understand exactly what I mean. We'll put the terrible
misjudgements that infuriate real forensic scientists aside
(like contaminating evidence by munching a bacon sandwich
all over a crime scene). Instead, let's look at the more
serious problem of overly-complex plot lines.
Call me a killjoy if you will but, just for once, couldn't the
murderer simply be the guy standing over the body holding
the smoking gun, surrounded by witnesses? The reason TV
drama doesn't go for this type of plot is obvious: simplicity
makes for crap television. (Just watch Big Brother for three
minutes and tell me I'm wrong.) But in real life, simple
thinking is exactly what's needed.
In the 14th Century an English chap known as William of
Ockham wrote a book called Sentences of Peter Lombard
in which he penned in Latin the phrase, “pluralities are never
to be put forward without necessity.” He would have been a
rather dull guest at a cocktail party, but he made a good
point. The phrase has since evolved: “All other things being
equal, the simplest solution is the best.”
This line of thinking became known as “Ockham's Razor,”
because a razor shaves away unnecessary assumptions to
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leave simple truths. It's a beautiful metaphor but, for most
of us, it doesn't come very naturally. People like you and me
tend to think in complex patterns by default. Few are able
to disarm a mental bomb to discover that the thing making
the ticking sound is simply a clock and not the comical
woodpecker with a good sense of rhythm they'd hoped for.
So what about Einstein's shaving incident? Chances are high
that it wasn't due to an abnormally low moisture level in the
air or a manufacturing defect causing the blade to misalign
momentarily. I didn't booby-trap his razor, either, in case you
thought so low of me. The real truth is that, in the moment
before he slipped, he probably just wasn't concentrating.
His mind was on greater things.
We intruded into Einstein's bathroom to test one idea: that,
just like our architect in his box, the desire to over-think a
problem and bring complexity into our lives is evident not
only in the objects we create to accomplish day-to-day tasks
— the electronic books and the space pens — but in our very
thoughts as well. Complexity is built into our DNA.
What you're about to discover is frightening. Just over the
page I'll offer one final piece of evidence of our desperate
thirst for complexity. A truly remarkable thing happens when
you take a large audience and give them a simple idea:
More often than not, they'll screw it up completely.
The Productivians
27
Most great businesses were started to answer a simple
question. Many questions start with the same three words.
For the Fisher Pen Company, the question was probably,
“how can we write in extreme places?” For the Ford Motor
Company it could have been, “how can we get there more
quickly?” and for a certain fast-food chain it may have been,
“how can we serve fries with that?”
In 2002 a man called David Allen published a book that
aimed to answer another simple question: “how can we get
things done?” His book, Getting Things Done (GTD), is now
an international bestseller that lies at the core of a successful
business consisting of consulting, public speaking and other
services connected with his productivity methods.
Allen is a smart man. Instead of devising a productivity
system and testing and tweaking it ad-infinitum, he simply
worked backwards. He studied very busy high-flying
individuals who appeared to be very productive naturally.
Then he extracted his system from the habits they were
using in their day-to-day work and play.
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The result is a set of fairly simple rules and goal-setting ideas
that combine to create a formula for removing worry from the
lives of busy people. My opinion is that, even at this point,
the whole thing is needlessly complex. Whilst Allen's system
offers some great ideas (such as dumping every actionable
item into a to-do list and freeing your mind of small
concerns), the secret to stress-free productivity if there is
one is much simpler: just pick up a pencil, sit down, and
bloody well get on with it.
I will save the real debate over whether or not there are
measurable benefits in studying productivity systems for
another time. For now, I want to show you what happens
when you give a reasonably simple idea to the world and
then have a cup of coffee while you leave them to it.
As you sip your triple espresso on returning from the coffee
machine, what you'll learn is this: when a big enough group
is offered a simple concept and left to tinker with it, they will
bolt-on complexity by the bucket-load.
Within a small number of years, David Allen's simple system
has lit a complex network of sparklers under an industry that
was previously simmering away delicately in the background.
It has given birth to a following of thousands of fanatical
individuals obsessed with adopting every new “productivity”
website, device and method. I call one branch of these
29
individuals the “Productivians,” largely because of the
religious nature of their faith: a strong belief that the more
small beeping devices, software and new habits they have,
the more productive they will become.
Getting Things Done has given birth to hundreds of web
applications, pieces of software, websites, spin-off books and
personal productivity consultants, all of which are in danger
of distracting us from getting things done by selling us
products and services based on those same three words.
I would wager that, while he is no doubt thrilled that people
are so interested in his ideas, Allen's intention was probably
never to inspire such complex thinking.
Thankfully, not everyone has gone down the same tricky road
as the Productivians. One of the people keeping it simple is
the remarkable Leo Babauta of zenhabits.net. Leo is often
falsely hailed as a productivity guru. In reality, what he writes
about is not productivity, but something much simpler: Leo
writes about living. He knows that what productivity is really
about is living your life in the simplest, most effective way
possible, and helping others to do the same. If he was
English and I was the Queen, I'd be whisking him over to the
palace to knight him before you could say "would you like a
castle with that, Sir Babauta?"
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So what do prophets of simplicity such as Leo Babauta and
David Allen use to organise themselves? While they both
embrace technology in addition to simple methods, what they
use for their day-to-day planning is paper. Perhaps you do
too. If so, that's great! You're already well on your way to
becoming more productive and living a simpler life. The
methods I teach in part two will help you even more.
But if you're one of the thousands who use electronic devices
or web applications without fully knowing why, I'd like to ask
you take a moment to stop and think. After all, there's
already a simpler, cheaper option available that doesn't have
the audacity to beep at you or spit error messages
everywhere. (I once had an error message saying simply,
“there has been an error because there has been an error.”)
The subject of software for software's sake brings us nicely
onto a topic close to my heart, and a somewhat over-used
phrase describing the mythical and mysterious idea of a
“second generation” of websites: Web two point oh.
Web 2.0 No!
I'll get straight to the point.
The terrible truth about web applications is this: in too many
cases, they don't actually solve anyone's problems. Instead,
whether their users realise it or not, software and systems
often add complexity rather than removing it.
There is a curious pleasure in registering a misspelt domain
name, designing a shiny logo, slapping “BETA” next to it and
launching a web application that just does something —
anything at all. There are online applications that help you
send large files, keep a to-do list, pick a colour palette for
your kitchen and practically anything else you can think of.
Some were created to solve a genuine problem or meet a
need (like the excellent dropsend.com), but a great many
were not.
The reason I can talk about web apps from both sides of the
online fence is simple: I built one. In late 2006, as I found
myself just one month away from the launch of my online
to-do list application (called Taskjam), I started asking my
beta testers what they thought. Their responses changed the
way I look at web applications forever.
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When I designed Taskjam, I did it to improve the to-do
list apps that were on the web already. While they were often
functional, they didn't offer the simplicity or beauty I needed
to live with one every day. I felt that I could take my modest
background in programming and graphic design, combine it
with my interest in usability and make something better. After
three months of careful design and hard coding (and living on
a diet of mostly Hobnobs), I finally had a product I was
pleased with. It was more fluid, beautiful and usable than
anything I'd tried online. So what did my users think?
They loved it. They thought that the subtle animated effects
and simple typography were wonderful. They loved the way
they could set text message reminders for their tasks from
anywhere in the world and receive them on time, every time.
But four weeks into the one-month trial, I noticed a terrible
pattern emerging.
My users had stopped using. Their quick fix had worn off.
I remember checking the visitor stats for Taskjam at the end
of week four. Forty-eight of the fifty users testing my app
hadn't visited the site for almost two weeks. Since one of the
fifty users was me, that left just one person out of fifty that
was using my lovely online to-do list a month after I'd
introduced them to it.
33
I confess: I was heartbroken. Like the teenage boy who's just
been dropped by the girl of his dreams, I started desperately
scrambling for answers. Was there something wrong with my
design? Was it just plain ugly? Was the web server playing
up? Were my users on holiday? Had they been abducted by
librarians*? It would be something simple like that — I was
certain! I sent an email around to find out if I was right.
The responses revolved around a similar theme. My users
had all gone back to their original systems. Some of the less
busy ones didn't actually have a system at all. Perhaps
rightly, they thought their lack of a concrete method to
organise their life was better than adopting my online one.
Some went back to their PDAs. Others said they kept lists in
their heads (a terrible crime, by the way. If you do it, try
Todoodling for a week; I guarantee you'll be less stressed
out). More still had returned to the trusty pen and paper.
It dawned on me pretty fast that I'd made a stupid mistake.
In building a web application simply to improve on existing
ones, I had skipped an essential part of the process. I'd failed
to ask the question, “what problems will Taskjam solve
better?” I had to face a simple fact: that most of my users
didn't have a to-do list problem in the first place. Their
existing setup worked just fine.
*It's always the quiet ones you have to watch.
34
The following week, I pulled the plug on Taskjam. It was one
of the hardest decisions I made that year. But sometimes you
just have to know when to quit. Sometimes you need to
recognise when you're building something for the cool factor
and not to fulfil a genuine need. Sometimes you need to
swallow your pride and admit you were a grade A, prizeworthy nitwit. Besides, I learned long ago to revel in my
small failures and learn from them. If I hadn't I'd probably
be in puddles of tears by now.
Before turning out the lights on my to-do list project, I'd been
using a PDA to access taskjam.com and manage my to-dos
online. With Taskjam gone, I turned back to the built-in to-do
list on my trusty handheld device. Then one day the battery
died when I needed it most. When I was forced to borrow a
pencil from a stranger to doodle my tasks before they left
my mind — a mind that had become utterly dependent
upon technology — I had to concede that there might be
something of value in simple methods after all.
I started using paper for everything. I dropped the online
calendar I was struggling to fall in love with. I unsubscribed
from the web-based project planner I had been paying for.
I wanted to understand more about paper and what it could
offer me over fancy systems and software. I sold my PDA and
paid off the credit card I had used to buy it.
35
I replaced everything with a pencil and notebook. (I also
swapped my PDA for a banana; more on that soon!)
A few weeks into my experiment with paper I was not only
happier; I was more productive too. But there were several
things I missed from my golden days as a technology junkie.
There was functionality I'd fallen in love with on the screen
that didn't seem to exist on paper.
Until now. You see, I learned rather quickly that I could
borrow ideas I'd found on the web — ideas like "tagging" —
and apply them to pencil and paper systems to create a
wonderful hybrid of the two: an improved paper-based
system for our busy modern lives that embraced concepts
found online without the added overheads, access issues,
or price tag.
Over the page in part two I'll share these solutions with you.
Before you venture further, I ask that you do two things:
1) Keep an open mind.
2) Pick up a pencil.
Part Two
5 simple solutions to help you
fall in love with paper again.
37
The Todoodlist
49
The Sudoku Calendar
56
The Tagbook
62
Glyphies
66
The Banana Reminder
The Todoodlist
37
The beauty of the Todoodlist lies in its simplicity.
When I tell you the secret, you'll smack your forehead and
wonder why you never thought to try it yourself. And when
you actually start using it, you'll be lost without it! Before I
spill the noodles on my humble Todoodlist, let me talk briefly
about the problems it solves.
A problem with paper?
Nothing could embody the concept of simplicity more purely
than the paper and pencil. It's hard to find an easier way to
keep a list. The problems start with the way that most people
do it. While the traditional list on paper is a powerful tool, it
lacks some of the power of electronic devices: prioritising and
categorising tasks are two of the main areas that people
struggle with at first.
The Todoodlist was built with at-a-glance prioritisation and
categorisation in mind. It builds on the existing strengths of
the paper list by adding the bits that were missing, together
with an element that even electronic lists lack: fun! Paper
productivity is now perfect.
38
What is a Todoodlist?
Put simply, a Todoodlist is a mind map for tasks. Like a mind
map, the Todoodlist is a great way to banish the stuff
clogging up your brain by committing them to paper. But it
doesn't end there!
A Todoodlist is a living set of doodles that allow you to
categorise, prioritise and focus; a picture of your actionable
items that evolves to reflect whatever's on your agenda as
you work through your week. Intrigued? Let's introduce it by
comparing it with a traditional list:
A basic paper to-do list
39
A simple todoodlist
The difference isn't purely visual. There are some marked
changes in structure too, all of which were devised to help
you decide at-a-glance what you need to do today. Don't be
put off by the concept's simplicity; as you're about to see,
it's more powerful than it looks!
First, let's learn what the shapes represent.
40
The 3 doodles
Todoodlists are drawn with three doodled components:
1) The box
Boxes are project hubs. They help you to categorise your
tasks. You draw one box for each of your projects or areas.
The Todoodlist doesn't have a central hub that all other ideas
stem from. Instead, it's made from many smaller maps, each
of which represents one project or area of your life.
2) The circle
Circles represent your active tasks. An active task is the next
task you plan to complete for each project. Circles help you
focus. There should only ever be one circle on each project
you're working on.
By circling the next action required in each of your projects,
you create an at-a-glance drawing of your priorities. When
you complete each active task, you mark it done and circle
the next item in that project. Circles are the life blood of your
Todoodlist; using them well will help you comfortably track
multiple projects at once, stay in control and reduce your
stress levels.
Important: if a task isn't active, don't circle it! Train yourself
to resist the common temptation of circling everything you
write down.
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3) The line
Lines represent connections. There are three types of
connection you can track with your Todoodlist:
a) Projects and tasks: if a task is related to a project,
draw a line between them.
b) Chained tasks: if you have a series of tasks that need
to be completed in order, you've got a chain. Simply draw
a series of lines that link your chained tasks to a project
in the order they need to be done.
c) Location links: If there are two tasks in separate projects
linked by location, draw a dotted line between them to
remind you of the connection. Examples of location links
might be going on a shopping trip to buy items for several
unrelated projects, or remembering to post a letter to your
accountant when you go out to pick up the kids.
Marking tasks as done
I suggest that you write your Todoodlist with a pencil and
simply erase completed tasks/circles with the rubber on the
end. However, I've tried various methods with pens too, and
putting a neat diagonal cross through the circle works almost
as well; experiment and create your own method.
42
The important thing is that you use a method to mark
completed items that removes them from the overall
doodlescape as effectively as you can. You want finished
tasks to move to the background so you can easily choose
new tasks to circle and make active. Steer clear from
anything that interferes with the at-a-glance nature of the
Todoodlist or creates excessive visual noise.
A quick note about scale
Scale can be important with your Todoodlist — bigger boxes
represent more important projects and larger circles are
tasks with a higher priority. Using scale is one of the best
ways to get an at-a-glance view of the priority of your tasks.
The Todoodlist deciphered
Let's look at some features of our original Todoodlist again:
Active tasks
Chained tasks
Location links
Active tasks are circled
Tasks performed in
Tasks occurring in the
for quick reference.
order are chained.
same location (like the
shops) are linked with
a dotted line.
43
Create your first Todoodlist in 4 steps
You now have all the information you need to create your first
Todoodlist. (I told you it was simple!) Let's pick up a pen or
pencil and doodle your first one together.
Step 1) Draw your project boxes
Write down the name of one active project that you'll be
working on in the next fortnight and draw a box around it.
When naming projects, use as few words as possible. Write
project titles in capitals.
Step 2) Write down your tasks
Write down the tasks required to complete your project near
to the box (don't circle the tasks yet!). Draw a line between
each task and the project box.
Step 3) Circle the active task
Next, circle the task you plan to work on next in that project.
Step 4) Repeat until complete
Repeat steps 1-3 for your other projects. Remember: you're
only doodling projects or categories that will be active in the
next two weeks.
That's it! You've drawn your first simple Todoodlist. Now, let's
learn what to do with it.
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How to use your Todoodlist
Using your Todoodlist is simple. Here's a three-step guide:
Step 1) Choose a project to work on
Step 2) Continue with the the circled task for that project
Step 3) If you complete the task, erase it (or cross it out)
and circle the next task to make it active.
From here on, you simply need to keep your Todoodlist up to
date. Just add tasks to your Todoodlist as you think of them
and connect them to a project with a simple line, and remove
circles when they're completed.
Seems simple doesn't it? By now you've probably got some
questions. I'll try to answer them here. If I miss anything
out, you're welcome to contact me by emailing
nickcernis@gmail.com
Todoodlist FAQ
Q: What's the lifespan of a Todoodlist?
The Todoodlist is designed to be an at-a-glance drawing of
your upcoming tasks for the next two weeks. As such, I
recommend that people rewrite their Todoodlists every
fortnight. This keeps them fresh and up-to-date.
Having said that, there's no reason why you couldn't make
your Todoodlist last for a month or more. Likewise, if you're
incredibly busy, you might want to rewrite your Todoodlist
45
after only a week. There is no concrete rule for the
Todoodlist's lifespan. Rewrite yours whenever you want to.
Q: What should I write my Todoodlists on?
Whatever works for you! (Please, no Todoodlists on public
buildings.) I've tried bound index cards, pieces of paper
folded in four, whiteboards and notebooks. I use a Moleskine
notebook, but experiment and see what works for you.
Q: Pencil or pen?
This is a personal choice. Try both and see what you prefer.
I use a good quality pencil (Faber-Castell's “perfect pencil” —
search for it online) because it's easy to erase finished tasks
cleanly. You need to make up your own mind. The Todoodlist
isn't a commandment written in stone.
Q: How do I know when I've got a chain?
It helps to visualise any chains before you commit tasks to
paper. Simply ask yourself “does this task need another
action before I can start it?” If the answer's yes, there's
probably a chain involved. Remember: draw a chain as a
series of tasks connected with lines to a project box.
46
Q: How is the Todoodlist better than the PDA or regular
paper list I'm using already?
For me, the Todoodlist far outclasses any task management
system I've used: it's faster to create, provides an at-aglance picture of your priorities, forces you to focus on active
tasks only, allows easy categorisation, and best of all, it's fun!
Of course, I'm biased: I invented it! You'll have to decide
whether you agree with me or not. Organisation is a personal
thing and everyone is different. I simply suggest that you try
the Todoodlist and see how you get on.
(If you want to read about the reasons why pencil and paper
are better than electronic systems in general, point your
browser at http://putthingsoff.com/index.php/writing-thingsdown/)
Q: Does it scale? I'm a lawyer, a director, an astronaut,
a father of fifteen, and a legendary rock guitarist. Will
the Todoodlist work with the hundreds of tasks and
projects I need to track?
Yes it will. The best way to use the Todoodlist if you're really
busy is to split it across several cards or pages. (That's one of
the reasons why notebooks work so well.) Simply dedicate
one page to each project. You'll find it works similarly across
several pages as it does on one.
47
Be warned: you'll dilute the usefulness of the Todoodlist with
every new page you split it across, so try to keep them down
to as few as possible. I would rather have a busy Todoodlist
on one page than several lists spread across multiple pages.
Q: Does it work with teams?
Yes — it works great! If you work in the same office as your
small or medium sized team, just draw your Todoodlist on a
black board. It's a fun way to keep everyone on track.
The only difference with a group Todoodlist is that you'll
often have multiple active tasks, each performed by
different individuals. The best way to handle this is to assign
a different colour to each person. You can then circle your
active task in the colour of your choice. Bam! You've got
an at-a-glance project management system, just like that!
You can tell what everyone's working on with a quick
skim across the board.
If you're using the Todoodlist in a group environment,
I'd love to hear from you. Please send your photos and
info to nickcernis@gmail.com
48
Q: Does it work with remote teams too?
If you work with a remote team, I'm afraid there's no way
to use a Todoodlist just yet. Perhaps someone will build an
online version one day. I'm not sure how I'd feel about this,
as it detracts from the Todoodlist's hand-drawn roots, but it
would be interesting to see the results!
Q: Would you like to see my Todoodlist? It features
sketches of flying monkeys, a caricature of Steve Jobs
smoking an iPhone, a Zen Kitten asleep in a box, and
irrefutable evidence that a Noughts and Crosses
Olympics would be utterly dull to watch.
Sure! If you've made a beautiful Todoodlist to rival them all,
email me at nickcernis@gmail.com with a copy.
The Sudoku
Calendar
49
Paper calendars are wonderful.
When I first started developing the Todoodlist, I switched
back from iCal on the Mac to a paper calendar. At the time,
I was commuting by train every morning and filling in Sudoku
puzzles to wake me up before the first coffee of the day
kicked in.
Sudoku is quite easy to grasp. (Jump to p51 if you don't want
reminding.) You're given a 9x9 grid of squares:
An uncompleted Sudoku puzzle
50
The rules are simple: fill in the squares so that every line and
9x9 box features the numbers 1 to 9. There can be no
repeated numbers in a line or box.
The completed puzzle
You solve Sudoku puzzles by process of elimination, building
up a picture of possible solutions to each blank square by
using completed squares in the same box or line. Some
choose to write the possible solutions in each blank square
as tiny numbers in order, like this:
Possible solutions for the unsolved top left squares
12
4
2
4
7
12
4
7
51
By repeating these tiny digits in the other blank squares, you
end up with a series of possible numbers that form a very
quick visual reference system. Instead of having to read each
tiny number in turn, the filled-in patterns that emerge create
a system like “visual braille” that shows you possible
solutions at-a-glance:
2
456
7
becomes
By building up patterns in this way, you can quickly complete
a puzzle by comparing possible solutions in multiple squares.
If it sounds complicated, don't worry — I'm not going to ask
you to solve any Sudoku puzzles! I simply wanted to give you
some background. So what has this got to do with calendars?
The problem with calendars
The quick visual reference system that emerges naturally
from Sudoku can also make a paper calendar even better.
The problem with calendars in general is that they're pretty
tough to reference quickly: When am I next getting paid?
When are those bill payments going out of my account? What
day did I say I'd pick up the kids this week? When am I next
meeting with the National Hobnob Appreciation Society?
These are all common questions that the Sudoku Calendar
was designed to answer fast.
52
The Sudoku Calendar:
recurring paper events
Sudoku Calendars do one thing very well: they provide
an at-a-glance paper reference for recurring and other
important events.
The Sudoku Calendar is designed to track up to 7 recurring
or important events. It's intended for use on a monthly
paper calendar, but you can make it work on a weekly one
too (more info in the FAQ). Here are just some of the ideas
that work well with the Sudoku Calendar:
Money
1) Payments into your bank account (monthly wages)
2) Bill payments due and direct debits
3) Regular transfers to your savings account
Events
4) Regular visits to friends or relatives
5) Days off work
6) Training schedules (running or other activities)
Family and Home
7) Dedicated days with family
8) Days for rubbish collection
9) Collecting people from places ("Mum's Taxi" anyone?)
53
Car
10) Servicing
11) Monthly maintenance
12) Tax and insurance due dates
Business
13) Scheduled deliveries or collections
14) Recurring departmental meetings
15) Days reserved for book keeping or similar activities
The list could go on. It's simply here to demonstrate just how
many events busy people need to track and refer to. It's
unlikely that you'll want to use the Sudoku Calendar to track
all of these. Instead, I suggest you start with just two or
three that are important to you.
Using the Sudoku Calendar
The system works by mentally splitting each daily square on
your monthly calendar into an invisible grid, like this:
The invisible grid
Monday
1
4
2
5
Possible example of use:
3
6
1. Money coming in
3. [reserved for date]
5. [reserved for events]
7. Direct debits
9. Credit card bills
7
8
9
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For each area, you assign only one event. What you're left
with is a kind of visual trigger — you can see at-a-glance
when your money's coming in and out, for example.
Let's see an example of how this works now.
The Sudoku Calendar: an example
You could use the Sudoku Calendar to track your incoming
cash and outgoing bills by using the invisible grid like this:
Monday
250
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
88
23
15
Here, you can quickly see that you have a regular incoming
payment of £250 on Monday 21st of January, a direct debit
of £88 coming out of your account on the 22nd, and a credit
card bill for £15 due to be paid on the 23rd (remind yourself
by looking at the key we made on the previous page).
By repeating your regular outgoings in this way throughout
your calendar, you'll have a quick visual monetary reference
guide to keep you on track financially. The Sudoku Calendar
isn't just about money, though. It has many varied possible
uses. Experiment and see what you come up with!
55
The Sudoku Calendar FAQ
Q: How do you know which bill the numbers refer to?
There's a way of adding this type of information to your
Sudoku Calendar that I'll teach you about later in the book.
(It's in the chapter called "Glyphies").
Q: How does it work on a weekly calendar?
It works the same way. Just split up your daily area into a
mental grid that works for you.
Q: What if my monthly calendar doesn't have boxes?
Just split the area representing one day into a mental grid.
Q: Is it worth having a monthly calendar just to use as
a Sudoku Calendar?
Absolutely! In fact, that's what I do. I have a dedicated
Sudoku Calendar as a monthly planner on my desk, together
with a separate weekly diary for one-off meetings or other
appointments. Experiment and use what works for you.
Q: Can you track more than 7 recurring events?
7 is enough for most people. The Sudoku Calendar was
designed to track the most important recurring tasks only;
the ones related to things like money and family which rule
your life! If you have other recurring tasks that aren't as
important, just write them in the centre of the boxes.
The Tagbook
56
Tagging is a simple concept that's found much success on
the Web in recent years.
Instead of categorising your online photographs, bookmarks
and blog entries into a series of folders and sub-folders, you
simply tag them with a word or phrase. Then, when you want
to see all the photographs of your dog, you simply click on
the "dog" tag, and voila: there are all the pictures of Rover
you've ever taken.
[If you're not familiar with tagging photographs on the web,
register for a free account at flickr.com and try it out today.
It will almost certainly change the way you share and
organise your photos forever.]
The Tagbook combines the simple online concept of tagging
with the joy of using a paper notebook.
The Tagbook explained
Notebooks are great. As a place to keep all your thoughts,
ideas, and Todoodlists, they can't be beaten. But how do
you organise them? What's the best way to quickly find the
shopping list you started writing a week ago? What if you
57
find yourself in a lift with Richard Branson and you need to
rapidly find and pitch that hot idea for the antigravity
cheesecake you had about two months ago?
It turns out, the type of tagging we use on the Web works
great for paper-based information too. You just have to adapt
the online concept a little.
What you need
You only need two things to create a Tagbook:
1) A quality notebook
I recommend the Moleskine brand of notebooks — I use
a “large” (13x21cm) lined Moleskine notebook. These
wonderful little things are the choice of many for their
quality, smooth writing surface, simple design and small
usability touches such as the elastic binder that keeps
the book safe when it's not in use.
The main feature that makes them great for use as Tagbooks
is the small card pocket in the back. It's this pocket in which
you'll keep your tags.
2) Sticky index flags
Index flags are like mini sticky notes. You can find them
online and in all good stationers (search for "Post-it index
flags" on the Web). It's these mini flags that we'll be labelling
58
and using as your tags. I recommend the small ones
(12mmx43mm), but experiment and use the size you get on
with best. Keep a good stock of these handy; you don't want
to run out!
What does a Tagbook look like?
The best way to understand a Tagbook is to see one.
This season pink on black is proving popular:
59
How to use your Tagbook
Using a Tagbook is simple. There are only three rules:
Rule 1) Tag every page you're likely to refer back to.
When you start a page in your notebook that you'll need to
come back to, tag it by labelling an index flag and sticking
that flag to the top of the page (on the short edge).
Rule 2) Each tag gets its own position.
When you tag a second page with the same label as the first
one, stick the second tag the same distance from the margin.
This creates a row down the edge of your Tagbook that's
dedicated to each tag, and makes flicking through them
easier.
Rule 3) Label both sides of the tag.
You'll want to be able to find tagged pages from both sides
of your notebook. Make sure you label both sides of your tag.
You'll find it saves you a lot of time later.
Additional tips
Here are some additional tips that will help you to get the
most out of your Tagbook.
1) Use two words or less per label
2) Only tag pages you're fairly sure you'll need again —
don't go tag-happy!
60
3) Think of tags as categories: “Project X” is a good
candidate for a tag. “Wash dishes” isn't! One-offs and small
tasks should stay on your Todoodlist.
4) Consider reserving pages before you've even written them
to provide quick access. For example, you could tag 5 pages
with "contacts" to keep a list of people you exchange
numbers and email addresses with.
Tagbook FAQ
Q: Aren't people already doing this?
You'd think so, wouldn't you? I informally polled everyone
I know who regularly uses a notebook for organisation. Of the
few who use bookmarks or Post-it notes, none of them were
actually labelling the tags by writing on them, and no-one
was aligning their tags for easy reference by subject.
Many were academics who use sticky index flags to
bookmark printed books. Some of them were giving the
colours “mental tags” (where green refers to occurrences
of a certain keyword, for example), but none had written
on or aligned the tags.
So, while I admit that the concept of labelling a book for
easy reference is nothing new, the idea of organising your
notebook into a Tagbook with labelled and organised flags
seems to be rather underused. Try it out today!
61
Q: Can't I use colour to indicate similar tags instead of
aligning them?
If you've not got many different tags, colour works well. But
when you build up past 5 or 6 tags, you'll probably find your
coloured system will fall apart pretty fast. I recommend that
you try both colour-coding and aligning, then use whatever
you're comfortable with.
Q: Could I use an address book as a notebook instead?
I wouldn't recommend it. It might sound like a good idea
to simply write everything related to your personal finance
under the letter “F”, but it won't be long before you've started
confusing it with “M” for money, “B” for budget, and “O” for
“Oh what a terrible waste of time.” Instead, tagging all
finance pages with "finance" will keep things neater.
Q: Should my tags be in alphabetical order?
It's entirely up to you. Personally I don't bother with this —
it would mean reorganising every tag in the Tagbook
each time you introduced a new one!
Glyphies
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Glyphies are personal glyphs or icons. Think of them as a
friendly shorthand for just about everything you could
possibly write down.
The nearest electronic approximation would be ‘smilies.’ :D
But while smilies convey emotion and often cause annoyance,
glyphies convey meaning and make your written life rather
wonderful instead!
Why use glyphies at all?
Glyphies serve three purposes. They are:
1) Faster to write down
2) Quicker to read
3) Great for security
There's no doubt about it — it's a lot easier to draw a glyphy
than it is to write the same thing in words. The same is true
when reading them. If a picture is worth a thousand words,
a glyphy is worth about ten!
Security always comes up whenever I talk to people about
writing things down instead of using a PDA or electronic
63
device that can be secured with a password. Glyphies offer a
layer of security that paper used to lack; they are a personal
“code” to which you can entrust your tasks, events and ideas.
The level of security is simply limited by the degree of
complexity you use: simple glyphies offer lower security
but are easier to read and write. Complex glyphies are more
secure but lose their at-a-glance nature for all but the most
hardened cryptographers! It's up to you to find your own
balance between security and legibility.
Glyphies are a wonderful example of where paper really
excels. Whereas most electronic systems limit you to the
keys on your keyboard, paper allows you to create your
own shorthand freely and easily.
Glyphies: your personal shorthand
Since glyphies are personal and the concept is fairly new,
I can't show you a table of international standardised ones:
there is no standard! Instead, glyphies are systems unique to
each individual. I may publish a list of other people's glyphies
one day for fun (at glyphies.com), but right now I want to
encourage people to experiment and come up with their own.
What I'll show you instead are some of the ones I use (don't
worry — no secrets here!). These should help you see how
you can start forming your own doodled shorthand today.
64
Example glyphies: a small selection
=
“Email John today”
=
“Call Sue today”
=
“Salary paid in today”
=
“Transfer from PayPal arrives today”
=
“Water bill due today”
=
“Do bookkeeping today”
How to use glyphies
When you've created some personal glyphs, where do you
write them? The answer is simple: anywhere you like! I have
glyphies on my Todoodlists, glyphies in my Tagbooks and
glyphies all over my Sudoku Calendars. Glyphies simply
replace long words or sentences anywhere you like.
65
Glyphies with tags
The functionality that glyphies offer is similar to tags;
they work great together in a Tagbook. While tags are
best thought of as categories or subject headings, glyphies
can further identify the subject matter on individual pages.
I put glyphies in the right hand margin of all my Tagbooks
by positioning identical glyphies at the same height. Then I
can simply flip from front to back and quickly identify pages
with references to payments I'm owed, domain names I'm
thinking of registering, or practically anything I've written
about during the course of the Tagbook's life.
When not to use glyphies
Glyphies are a personal system: they were never intended
to communicate ideas to others. Unless you can come up
with a team shorthand that you're all happy with (and you're
probably wasting your time by trying), I recommend that you
reserve them for your own notebooks, calendars and lists.
The Banana
Reminder
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As you've probably guessed already, the banana reminder
is not strictly a paper-based concept.
A "banana reminder" is simply a blanket term I invented to
describe any written reminder that triggers your memory
when you're in a certain location at a certain time. The
phrase was inspired by my experience going cold turkey
on hard tech when abandoning my PDA.
Yes: I swapped my PDA for a banana!
It's not as crazy as it sounds. When I first let go of my PDA,
the hardest part was losing the constant daily reminders that
I'd often spend hours setting up throughout my week. I knew
I had to find an alternative or improve my memory fast.
At first, I wrote quick notes in my Tagbook to act as
reminders. But often, I'd forget to check the page altogether!
It simply wasn't relevant enough to time or location to force
me to check it.
The joy of the banana
For those of you who aren't weird enough to have tried it, let
me tell you this: the banana is simply the most enjoyable
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writing surface imaginable. (You wondered what I was
going to say before turning the page, didn't you?) Don't
think twice: rush to your nearest banana with a Biro and try
writing on its soft surface right now! Write whatever you like:
a sonnet, a love letter or a simple phrase. The result will be
the same: you'll wish all writing surfaces could be this good!
The story about why I wrote on a banana the first time will
be saved for another day, but the idea behind the concept is
this: the banana is an excellent location-based reminder.
The hidden reminder in your lunch box
When I first came up with the idea, I was carrying a banana
to work every day for lunch. I was also planning to start my
own business, so I often used my lunch hours to work on
business plans and perform other necessary tasks that would
let me break free of my 9-5. With the sale of my PDA, the
banana reminder served as my lunch time call to action.
I'd write a small note on the banana when I was preparing
my lunch the day before. Some days it said "pay car tax" or
"post letter to accountant". Other days it said "meeting with
bank 12:30". Some days it didn't say anything at all. The idea
behind the banana reminder is simple:
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Written reminders must be relevant to either:
a) location or b) time
For me, the banana reminder was relevant to both.
The notes I wrote on it could only be performed during my
lunch hour at work, at the same time I'd be unpeeling the
banana. Funny? Perhaps. Bonkers? You tell me. Useful?
Certainly! Let's see how you can use the concept in your life.
It's not just about bananas
Don't worry: I'm not seriously advocating that you rush out
and replace all your PDAs and iPhones with bananas!
Using location-based reminders
1) Write down your daily routine.
2) Identify the locations that are the same every day.
3) Find an object associated with one location.
4) Find a way to write a note on that object.
5) Get into the habit of writing reminders the evening
before you'll need them.
Don't limit your ideas just to portable objects; they can be in
fixed locations too. If you routinely apply your lipstick in your
car's mirror every morning, try sticking a Post-it note on it
the night before. (If you don't wear lipstick, you're not alone
— there will be another location or object that suits you.
A cigarette packet? The mouse on your computer?)
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Don't go bananas
When I first started playing with the banana reminder,
I confess that I over-used it a little. I left myself little notes
almost everywhere in the strangest places. My memory was
so bad at first that I'd forgotten I'd even written them! It felt
like I was part of a Stephen King film. I'd open my rucksack
and a mysterious ransom note would be pinned to the lining
with cut-and-stick letters arranged to spell out “remember
the milk!” It scared the hell out of me at times.
Don't interrupt your day as much as your PDA once did. Just
offer yourself simple written time or location-based reminders
which serve as a quick note that you'll be guaranteed to find
without scaring the crap out of you!
Written reminders help your memory too
What happened to me after ditching my PDA for a banana
was wonderful. (Now there's a sentence you won't read every
day.) Within just a couple of weeks, my memory was starting
to improve dramatically.
Perhaps it was the constant threat that someone might
discover my strange new habit and lock me up for good,
or maybe it was the pleasure of writing on such a wonderful
surface, but the simple act of recording my tasks by writing
them down on something as unusual as a banana had forced
me to take a genuine interest in my daily must-dos.
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Three months after first using the banana reminder, I'd left
my job to start my own business. The banana had helped
in two ways: Firstly, it made me realise that I could do fine
without my PDA and encouraged me to play with paper.
Secondly, it injected some laughter into what could otherwise
be a pretty depressing day. No-one likes to be nagged, but
when your orders come from a banana, it's hard not to see
the funny side.
Though I no longer write on bananas (except for fun),
I consider the concept of location-based written reminders to
be an essential part of developing your memory and gaining
confidence away from electronic devices. If you're overlydependent upon technology or simply want to boost your
memory, try it today and see for yourself!
Part Three
Steps and templates to help you
embrace simplicity.
72
The 5 Steps
88
5 Steps Diet Edition
90
The Blueprint For Launch
92
BONUS: The Blueprint For Lunch!
The 5 Steps
72
This chapter is a thorough guide to reducing the complexity
in your life by learning and applying five steps. If you want
a quick overview, skip to 5 Steps Diet Edition on page 88.
At its heart, Todoodlist is a book about simplicity. While I
hope to encourage people to reconsider their use of PDAs
and software and find fun and simplicity with a pencil and
paper, I didn't want it to end there.
Once you start thinking about problems in terms of making
them simpler rather than adding complex systems to tame
them, it has a ripple effect in the rest of your life. Simplicity
is deliciously addictive!
Here's the 5-step system that I've developed to help remove
worry, become more productive, simplify your daily chores
and most importantly — live a happier life!
The Five Steps
Step 1) Automate
Step 2) Delegate
Step 3) Reduce
Step 4) Drop
Step 5) Focus
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Let's look at each step in turn.
Step 1: Automate
Automation is the first step for a good reason: the more you
can automate, the more free time you'll have to work on the
other steps!
Apart from people, there are few things more valuable than
time. It's one of the only things you can't buy more of;
treasure it! Never underestimate the value of shaving off 10
minutes from a process here or 20 minutes from a recurring
task there.
What should you be automating?
The quick answer is this: automate as much as you feel
comfortable with. The ideas that follow are not a complete list
of all your options, but rather, some common areas that
almost everyone can automate. Together, they'll save you
hours every week.
Automate it! 6 essential chores to automate today
1) Home bills
If you're not paying your bills by automated direct debit,
perhaps you should be. If you're worried about your bank
balance, know that most companies now let you choose the
date they take payment -- try to set them up to pinch your
hard-earned cash the day after you're paid.
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2) Shopping
Internet shopping is getting better all the time. You can now
do all your grocery shopping online and get it delivered to
your door each week, a service that will save you hours a
month in travelling and stress. You shouldn't let it stop you
getting out and using your friendly local independent stores,
but online shopping is a big time saver worth exploring.
3) Bank transfers
If you regularly make manual payments to other bank
accounts, consider automating them. Most accounts allow
you to set up automated transfers online.
4) Train, bus, and plane tickets
If you travel regularly, you should be using a weekly, monthly
or annual pass. Look to automate your transport purchases
as much as you can: London Underground users should use
automated systems like the Oyster card, for example.
5) Email redirection and responses
We all spend a large amount of time simply deciding what to
do with our email. The more you can automate email sorting,
the better. Learn to use the filters your mail application offers
to automatically sort mail based on sender or subject.
Encourage people in key teams to prefix their mail subjects
with keywords to help you out.
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6) Income
The more you can automate your income, the less financial
stress you'll be under and the more free time you'll have to
pursue your dreams and spend with the people you love.
Of all the things on this list, automating your income is by
far the hardest. But I genuinely believe that anyone can
do it. It's a big subject that you could write a whole book on.
In fact, someone already has! His name is Tim Ferris and the
book's called “The Four Hour Work Week.” It's worth reading!
Automate almost everything
These were just six simple areas where automation can
save you time and stress. There are many more! Spend just
twenty minutes thinking about your routine. Learn to ask
yourself, “could I automate this?” when you're performing a
simple task. You don't have to go mad: Wallace and Gromit's
automatic jam-firing cannon for making toast in the morning
was probably a step too far!
Step 2: Delegate
Strictly speaking, delegation is simply a delicate brand of
automation: you give your problems to someone else and get
a finished solution, hopefully with minimal input from you.
Delegation deserves its own step for one good reason:
you're probably not doing it enough.
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Isn't delegation for managerial folk?
Delegation is traditionally thought of as something that highend executives do to offload their stresses onto the shoulders
of less fortunate folk while they bugger off to play 19 holes
of golf. I'd like to assure you that you don't need a Porsche,
a set of golf bats, or a fancy suit to be able to delegate well.
All you need is some common sense.
Delegation is simply about knowing when you're the best
person for the job right now, and having the courage to do
something about it when you're not. There are three groups
of people you should consider delegating to:
1) Friends or family
Never be afraid to ask for help. It's not a sign of weakness:
rather, a sign that you're emotionally intelligent enough to
recognise other people's strengths. While your partner might
not take too kindly if you tell them they're far better at
washing up than you are, don't think twice about spreading
your load if you're stretching yourself too thin.
2) Staff or co-workers
Office cultures are tricky things. While it's often hard to
delegate work if you're in a junior position, there's absolutely
nothing wrong with telling someone you're too busy to take
on additional work. Learning to say "no" or having the guts to
delegate work elsewhere is what encourages change: it helps
to cultivate a healthy, realistic working environment.
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If you think your working life is too complex, start delegating
today. I discovered that my life got much simpler by learning
the gentle art of delegation in the workplace; take the time to
experiment with it now and reap the benefits forever.
3) Hired help
If I'm honest, I'm a bit of a control freak. The huge value
of outsourcing is something I've learnt only quite recently.
I once found it tough to give others the responsibility to help
with something that means so much to me. But not anymore.
The day I first hired a freelancer to help with some illustration
and design work was the day I realised that paying for the
privilege of delegation was worth every penny. Once I'd
learned to trust others and find confident help, it forever
changed the way I work.
Paying a freelancer, consultant, nanny, cleaner, decorator,
builder or other skilled person for the first time instead of
doing it yourself might be tough, but trust me: it will
probably be one of the smartest decisions you make.
Paying for it
A lot of people say that they can't afford to pay someone to
do their work for them. Instead of thinking like that, simply
flip the question on its head and ask yourself this: can I
afford not to delegate?
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Start thinking practically about paying for help. The way to
do this is to set a "life rate". Be warned: if you already value
your free time, you'll value it a lot more after reading this!
The life rate
The first time I delegated work was in the same week I
simply placed an hourly value on my own free time. The idea
is simple: if you had to put a monetary value on one hour of
your life, what would it be?
It might be the same as what you'd earn in your job, or it
might be a lot more. (Could you put a price on an hour spent
with your friends and family? I couldn't.)
My own life rate is about three times the hourly rate I set in
my business. The reason for the multiplier is simple: I accept
that there are people worth paying with a far greater skill
level than my own. At the same time, I need to cap it so that
I don't get carried away and spend more than I can afford.
However you decide to determine it, stop right now and
choose a figure for your life rate. We'll be using that number
very shortly over the page.
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When to delegate
So when should you delegate? There are three questions
you should ask:
1) Do I have the skills to complete this task?
If the answer is yes, move on to question two. If the answer
is no, delegate it.
2) Do I honestly have time to do it myself?
If the answer is yes, move on to question three. If you're
simply too busy, delegation is one of the best options.
3) Can I get someone to do it for less than my life rate?
If the answer is yes (and you have the cash), then delegate
it. If you answered no, perhaps it's better to take on the task
yourself, or simply find someone who'll help for free.
Delegation and simplicity
Simplicity is not just about doing less: it's about doing less
more efficiently. It's perfectly possible to do less and still get
more done simply by using more efficient methods. But
delegation is king here: it's the best way to get more done by
doing less. Leveraging money in return for additional free
time is something everyone should consider.
Ignore it at your peril.
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Step 3: Reduce
Two of the biggest reasons for the complexity in our lives are:
a) the amount of actions we have to deal with
b) the number of places or "inboxes" our tasks come from
Step three deals with reducing these inboxes.
Throttle your inboxes
Look at your to-do list right now. Where have all those little
orders come from? Chances are high that they're from your
four "inboxes":
1) Your personal inbox
Most of your tasks were probably put there by one person:
you! What many fail to recognise is that their lives are
complex because they've simply committed to too much.
Don't worry about this right now. We'll be dealing with it
separately in the next of our 5 steps: "Drop".
2) Your family and friends inbox
Almost everyone has responsibilities for friends and family.
Doing things for the people close to you is always worth it;
after all, you'll probably ask for their help in return one day.
Don't try to skimp too much in this area; the commitments
you make here are powerful ones worth honouring. (While it
may be tempting some days, I certainly don't suggest you
throttle your friends and family!)
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3) Your work inbox
If you've got a job, you've got a work inbox. Whether you're
answerable to someone else or not, the work inbox is one
source where you can definitely reduce incoming tasks.
How do you do it? Firstly, by following steps one and two
and delegating or automating as much as you possibly can.
Secondly, by knowing your own limits. Learning to say
no is one of the best skills you can possibly acquire. Saying
no politely and with good reason is the quickest route to
reducing the tasks coming into your work inbox.
4) Your actual inboxes
Finally, we come to your real-world and virtual inboxes: the
email accounts, physical post, telephones, mobile phones,
social networking websites, instant messengers and anything
that friends and utter strangers alike can use to spit
messages at you.
Your actual inboxes are the one area you should concentrate
on reducing at first. You should have no more than one email
inbox. Simply divert all other accounts to one source. I've
written about this at length before — see my post called
"Inbox Heaven" here: http://tinyurl.com/2k5fr2
If you receive a lot of mail from certain sources (such as a
website or blog), you might like to consider setting out some
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rules for people to get in touch with you to pre-filter
enquiries. This will reduce your incoming tasks dramatically.
Check out Leo Babauta's contact page here to get some
ideas: http://zenhabits.net/about/
Step 4: Drop
How do you decide what projects and tasks to take on?
Do you have a lot of ideas waiting to be developed? Are you
trying to do several things all at once? Is it working?
If you thought that learning to say no was tough, then
learning to drop something you've started when it's not
working for you is even harder. First, let's look at why you
might want to drop a project you once committed to.
It's all about goals
Do you set goals? You should. Everyone has dreams of some
kind or other, however big or small. The difference between
the people who achieve them and those who don't is simple:
the achievers set goals and break them down into tasty,
achievable mini goals. Then they remove almost everything
that isn't related to helping them meet that goal.
Step 4 is about recognising the tasks that don't support
your goals and having the courage to remove, delegate or
otherwise shed them from your workload. Of course, to do
this, you first need some goals!
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Setting goals
There are many different types of goals spread across big
fields like finance, travel, relationships, lifestyle and more.
The important thing is that you set them, remember them,
and keep them realistic.
Many people choose to set goals based on a five year plan.
It's a good period of time to choose because, while a lot can
change in five years, it will pass sooner than you think. Try
setting a realistic five year goal for your personal finance,
lifestyle, travel or relationships. Do it right now — pick up a
blank sheet of paper and write your goal at the top clearly
and with confidence.
Once you've got a goal, break it down year-by-year
underneath. You should be able to see pretty fast if you've
set a realistic goal or not. If you want to be living in a bigger
house in five years time with a view to starting a family, for
example, you'll also need to ask yourself some questions.
How big is bigger? How much would it cost? What would the
mortgage be? How can you work year-by-year to achieve
that? Break it down; the simpler you can make your mini
goals, the more likely you are to score.
Want to take a year out to do charity work in Africa in five
years time? What would you have to do to make that goal a
reality? Who would you need to contact right now to start the
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ball rolling? Break it down year-by-year and month-bymonth. If you want it badly enough, isn't it worth spending
the effort to plan how you'll get there? Ever heard the phrase
“pipe dreams?” Make sure you don't fall into one.
Of course, it's perfectly acceptable to have multiple goals;
most people do. But don't over-stretch yourself. The more
focused you can be on one goal, the better. Don't forget to
talk about your goals with the people you love too. They'll be
the ones helping you along.
Drop the loose links
With your goals established, look at all the projects, tasks
and activities in your life. Which of them are helping you get
towards your goals? Which of them aren't? By making that
tough call and knowing when to drop the loose links, you'll be
forcing yourself to simplify your life and steer closer towards
your ambitions.
An essential book that should be recommended reading
for anyone with a heartbeat is Seth Godin's “The Dip.”
The subtitle reads simply: “The extraordinary benefits of
knowing when to quit (and when to stick).” You can read it
in just a couple of hours (it's about 80 pages short). Go to
Seth's site* and pick it up today — it's one of the few books
that changed my life forever.
*http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/books.asp
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Step 5: Focus
The final step in simplifying your life is to find focus.
It's easy to say it: if you want to lead a simple, productive
life, just sit down and get on with it. But if it really was that
easy, we'd all be teleporting around, flying between galaxies,
and generating biscuits from thin air by now.
Because complexity often comes from trying to do too much
at once, learning to focus results in a happier, more
rewarding life. Focusing usually occurs on two levels:
1) Project level
It's easy to fall into the trap of juggling your time between
multiple projects. Don't. Instead, focus on one at a time. If
you simply can't for a very good reason, then try to focus on
as few as possible. I try not to take on more than three client
projects at one time; it's done wonders to simplify my
working life.
2) Task level
Once you've chosen to focus on a particular project, focus on
one task within that project too. Decided to work on writing
your book today? Great! Then write it. Don't edit it, re-read
it, or play with the formatting as well. Concentrating on one
task narrow-mindedly will simply make you more productive.
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5 Ways To Find Focus
1) Block book your time
Set small time blocks in which you'll only work on a single
task from one project for just 15 minutes. Then have a break
and block-book again for a slightly longer period of time.
2) Use the Todoodlist
The Todoodlist was designed with focusing in mind. If you
haven't already tried it out, skip back and have a go as soon
as you've read this chapter.
3) Stop aiming for perfection
Simplicity sometimes comes at a cost: if you set a simple
goal, such as writing 5,000 words today, you might have to
fall a little short of perfect spelling and grammar to hit that
target. It's OK to accept less than perfection for the greater
good. You can go always go back and edit later. This applies
to all sorts of tasks, not just writing.
4) Beat procrastination
Focussing is also about avoiding procrastination.
Procrastination spawns stress and complexity simply
because it creates less time in your day to complete active
tasks. So how do you beat it? Here are the top three ways
I recommend to everyone:
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a) turn off your phone and email when you've block booked
your time
b) set and enforce deadlines for every task you commit to
c) create a working environment that's free of distractions
For more tips on avoiding procrastination, see my article
here: http://tinyurl.com/3a4k8z
5) Think of the rewards
Rewards work very well in combination with block booking.
If you've successfully knuckled down and written the number
of words you promised, give yourself a reward. Many of us
are conditioned as children to expect a reward after we've
expended significant effort. There's no harm in applying this
to your adult life too!
5 Steps Diet Edition
88
This simple version of the five steps is a short list of my top
tips for each step that you can try right now. It's intended to
supplement the full version, not replace it.
Step 1) Automate
Focus on automating your home bills, bank transfers and
personal finance.
Step 2) Delegate
Focus on building a "black book" of honest, affordable
freelancers to whom you can outsource in future. Better yet,
delegate it by simply asking your friends and colleagues who
they use!
Step 3) Reduce
Focus on reducing your email accounts to just one. Cut down
your use of social networking sites and instant messaging.
Step 4) Drop
Focus on creating your five year goals. Then examine your
life and consider dropping anything that's not helping you
achieve them. Remember to talk through any big decisions
with the people close to you first!
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Step 5) Focus
Focus on focusing! Try the Todoodlist as a means to
concentrate on one thing at once. Block book your time
to achieve more by doing less.
Blueprint for Launch
90
Almost everyone has projects they're trying to complete.
How many of yours are pipe dreams, and how many are out
there making you money, getting you noticed, or simply
helping other people to live happier lives?
The Blueprint For Launch is a simple set of questions to ask
yourself before you start a new project that will help you
launch it faster and smarter. You'll find it on the next page —
print it out and fill it in. It also works to help re-evaluate your
existing projects.
The Blueprint is based on one simple idea: it is almost always
better to launch a rough prototype now and build and refine
it based on user feedback, than it is to launch an overdeveloped product months or even years later.
Before you rush over the page to fill in The Blueprint, here
are just 3 preliminary questions to ask yourself before you
even consider taking on a new project:
1) Do I have enough time and money to complete it?
2) How will it affect my other projects?
3) What impact will it have on the people in my life?
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The Blueprint For Launch
5 Questions To Help Launch New Projects Faster and Smarter
1) What is the one goal for this project?
2) What are the steps I/we must take to complete it?
3) Which 3 of those steps can I/we remove right now?
[cross at least 3 out from your list above]
4) Which of the remaining steps can I/we delegate and who
will I/we delegate to?
5) What date will I/we launch on, no matter what stage the
project's at?
Launch date:
Blueprint for Lunch!
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People who know me will know this: I think meetings are evil.
They very rarely accomplish anything that can't be done by
phone or email, they waste time and resources, they don't
present a comfortable arena to participate or offer feedback,
and they often build animosity between staff.
I consider myself desperately lucky. Most of the work I do
is now done over the Web. While my meetings have now
been replaced by email, I've had to endure many “business
lunches” in my time. While they've often been fun, few have
been fruitful in other ways.
I thought it would be fun to offer a special bonus in addition
to my Blueprint For Launch. It's called the "Blueprint for
Lunch" and it's on the next page. I hope it encourages you
to make your meetings worthwhile!
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The Blueprint For Lunch
5 Questions To Get More From Meetings and Lunches
1) What is our one goal for this meeting?
2) What points are on the agenda?
3) Which of those points can we remove right now?
[cross out at least 2 from your list above]
4) Which of the remaining points could be covered by email?
5) What time will we all walk away no matter what stage
we're at to get some proper work done instead?
Abort time:
Conclusion
95
Just One Thing
Just One Thing
95
For a book about simplicity there are a lot of ideas here,
aren't there?
Some of it, like the Space Parrot, is simply fun, throw-away
trivia or shameful fibbing that I hope you'll have laughed at
without worrying too much about feeling guilty afterwards.
Other parts, like the Todoodlist and The 5 Steps are areas
I hope you'll reread, try out, explore and enjoy for life.
Todoodlist should have taught you that simplicity isn't doing
less. It's doing more with less. You should also realise that
simplicity needn't be boring. Simplicity can be a fun,
engaging, playful thing that can brighten your day or
make you smile.
By using simple methods like pencil and paper by default,
reducing the complexity in everyday chores and tasks,
embracing technology to solve problems only when it
genuinely helps, and stopping yourself from bolting complex
systems on to problems in an attempt to tame them, you'll
be able to lead a happy, fulfilling life.
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I've chosen to end Todoodlist by giving you the most valuable
collection of advice I could hope to offer. By chance, it
happens to also be the only thing I really want you to take
away from this book. My advice comes wrapped lovingly in
just 11 words. Individually, they couldn't be more simple.
Together, their message is deeply powerful:
"Lead a simple life. Chase your dreams. The rest will follow."
todoodlist
by Nick Cernis
putthingsoff.com
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